ATLS post test QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

ATLS post test QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1. The primary indication for transferring a  patient to a higher level trauma center is: unavailability of a surgeon or operating room  staff. multiple system injuries, including severe  head injury. resource limitations as determined by the  transferring doctor. resource limitations as determined by the  hospital administration. widened mediastinum on chest x-ray  following blunt thoracic trauma. 2. teen-aged bicycle rider is hit by a truck traveling at a high rate of speed. In the emergency department, she is actively bleeding from open fractures of her legs, and has abrasions on her chest and abdominal wall. Her  blood pressure is 80/50 mm Hg, heart rate is 140 beats per minute, respiratory rate is 8  breaths per minute, and GCS score is 6. The first step in managing this patient is to: obtain a lateral cervical spine x-ray.  insert a central venous pressure line.  administer 2 liters of crystalloid solution.  perform endotracheal intubation and  ventilation. apply the PASG and inflate the leg  compartments. 3. Contraindication to nasogastric intubation is the presence of a: gastric perforation.  diaphragmatic rupture.  open depressed skull fracture.  fracture of the cervical spine.  fracture of the cribriform plate.  4. Which one of the following statements regarding patients with thoracic spine injuries is TRUE? Log-rolling may be destabilizing to  fractures from T-12 to L-1. Adequate immobilization can be  accomplished with the scoop stretcher. Spinal cord injury below T-10 usually spares  bowel and bladder function. Hyperflexion fractures in the upper  thoracic spine are inherently unstable. These patients rarely present with spinal  shock in association with cord injury. 5. young man sustains a ritle wound to the midabdomen. He is brought promptly to the emergency department by prehospital  personnel. His skin is cool and diaphoretic, and his systolic blood pressure is 58 rnm Hg. Warmed crystalloid fluids are initiated without improvement in his vital signs. The next, most appropriate step is to perform: a celiotomy.  an abdominal CT scan.  diagnostic laparoscopy.  abdominal ultrasonography.  a diagnostic peritoneal lavage.  6. young woman sustains a severe head injury as the result of a motor vehicular crash. In the emergency department, her GCS score is 6. Her  blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg and her heart rate is 80 beats per minute. She is intubated and is being mechanically ventilated. Her pupils are 3 mm in size and equally reactive to light. There is no other apparent injury. The most important principle to follow in the early management of her head injury is to: administer an osmotic diuretic.  prevent secondary brain injury.  aggressively treat systemic hypertension.  reduce metabolic requirements of the  brain. distinguish between intracranial hematoma  and cerebral edema. 7. 22-year-old man is brought to the hospital after crashing his motorcycle into a telephone  pole. He is unconscious and in profound shock. He has no open wounds or obvious fractures. The cause of his shock is MOST LIKELY caused by: a subdural hematoma.  an epidural hematoma.  a transected lumbar spinal cord.  a transected cervical spinal cord.  hemorrhage into the chest or abdomen.  8. 30-year-old man is struck by a car traveling at 56 kph (35 mph). He has obvious fractures of the left tibia near the knee, pain in the pelvic area, and severe dyspnea. His heart rate is 180  beats per minute, and his respiratory rate is 48  breaths per minute with no breath sounds heard in the left chest. A tension pneumothorax is relieved by immediate needle decompression and tube thoracostomy. Subsequently, his heart rate decreases to 140 beats per minute, his respiratory rate decreases to 36 breaths per minute, and his blood pressure is 80/50 inm Hg. Warmed Ringer's lactate is administered intravenously. The next priority should be to: perform a urethrogram and cystogram.  perform external fixation of the pelvis.  obtain abdominal and pelvic CT scans.  perform arterial embolization of the pelvic  vessels. perform diagnostic peritoneal lavage or  abdominal ultrasound. 9. 8-year-old girl is an unrestrained passenger in a vehicle struck from behind. In the emergency department, her blood pressure is 80/60 mm Hg, heart rate is 80 beats per minute, and respiratory rate is 16 breaths per minute. Her GCS score is 14. She complains that her legs feel "funny and won't move right;" however, her spine x-rays do not show a fracture or dislocation. A spinal cord injury in this child: is most likely a central cord syndrome.  must be diagnosed by magnetic resonance  imaging. can be excluded by obtaining a CT of the  entire spine. may exist in the absence of objective  findings on x-ray studies. is unlikely because of the incomplete  calcification of the vertebral bodies. 10. Immediate chest tube insertion is indicated for which of the following conditions? Pneumothorax  Pneumomediastinum  Massive hemothorax  Diaphragmatic rupture  Subcutaneous emphysema  11. 18-year-old, helmeted motorcyclist is  brought by ambulance to the emergency department following a high-speed crash. Prehospital persormel report that he was thrown 15 meters (50 feet) off his bfice. He has a history of hypotension prior to arrival in the emergency department, but is now awake, alert, and conversational. Which of the following statements is TRUE? Cerebral perfiision is intacto  Intravascular volume status is normal.  The patient has sensitive vasomotor  reflexes.